March Across America founder Corporal Justin Kuhel made his way into Fountain Hills Tuesday evening, Sept. 15, for a brief rest before heading to Phoenix during his cross-country journey.

Kuhel began his 2,700- mile trip at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on May 23 and, for the past 125-odd days, has been on a quest to reach Camp Pendleton in California.

The projected completion date is Oct. 10.

Not simply marching across the country for his health, Kuhel is accepting donations on behalf of the Headstrong Project and Help Our Military Heroes.

As of this writing, Kuhel had raised $50,000 of his $100,000 goal.

If he doesn’t hit his milestone by the time he reaches California, he plans to turn around and start marching back across the country until his mission is complete.

His trip to Phoenix netted a $10,000 donation from APS.

Along the way, Kuhel, 26, has relied on the support and kindness of strangers to keep him going.

Locally, Comfort Inn owner Sam Trivedi put Kuhel up for the night, along with his mother, who is driving the support van.

For those interested in offering support to Kuhel’s cause, donations can be made at marchacrossamerica.org. More information about Kuhel’s journey, as well as information on the charities he is supporting, can also be found there.

He is splitting the money he raises between the Headstrong Project, which provides free mental health care to veterans, and Help our Military Heroes, a non-profit that supplies modified vehicles to wounded veterans so that they can have greater mobility.

Kuhel said he got involved in the military fresh out of high school in 2006, assigned to the 2D Battalion, 8th Marines. He was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007 and again in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009 before being honorably discharged in 2010.

Kuhel is currently a nationally registered paramedic, though his career has been put on hold while he completes his fundraising journey.

He actually began his fundraising efforts back in 2012, when he completed a 400-mile march from his home in Columbus, Ohio, to Arlington National Cemetery to raise $13,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

He said his love for the military actually began in middle school, and it’s been a big part of his life ever since.

“I think I was in the seventh grade when I got a book about Navy Seals, so I was planning on being a Seal,” Kuhel said.

“But then a buddy I grew up with convinced me to go into the Marines with him. We did the buddy program and went to boot camp together.”

After four years in service Kuhel decided it was time to tackle his next life goal and, starting in January, he plans to attend school to become nursing certified.

As for his philanthropic efforts, Kuhel said that it all started with a documentary about one of his friends who was shot while out on patrol.

“The documentary goes between combat footage and his recovery, and I never realized how much work goes into the recovery process when these guys get back,” Kuhel added.

“That made me want to do something.”

Kuhel said that his first 400-mile walk to Arlington turned out to be such a success that he wanted to try to duplicate it on a “slightly bigger scale.”

So far, Kuhel said that his walk has been long, but great.

“I’ve met literally thousands of really nice people who have helped us along the way,” Kuhel said.

“Some people donate, but my favorite part of it has been meeting with so many veterans. I haven’t had any negative experiences and it’s been a real big community effort.”

Kuhel said that every state has offered its own challenges as far as the journey is concerned but, at the end of his trek, he knows that the experience and the funds raised for causes in need will make the whole ordeal worth it.